Interpretation Of Ecuadorian Cancel

To what does the term encomiendas in this cancel refer?

Don

Hi Don,
'Parcels', I think
Don

The word has several definitions according to the University of Chicago Spanish dictionary (charge, recommendation, commission, royal land grant). For specific countries, Mexico has it as a warehouse for agricultural products.

Columbia uses it for parcel post packages. So, Don is correct. No mention of use in Ecuador, but I seem to recall the word used also on a few Venezuelan stamps.

Sounds like parcel post is the answer. I will take that unless another creditable reply shows up.

Thanks, Don & Climber Steve.

Don

Answers to my query in 2008
(I cannot recall what stamp image I used at the time, revenue or postage stamp)

Found it.
Was for Uruguay Black Overprint Sc# Q75

Hi

Using "ecuador filatelia encomiendas" in the Google search box gave the following link:

https://www.correosdelecuador.gob.e...-frecuentes/
preguntas frecuentes = FAQ

On the Spanish Page do a CTRL+F and enter encomiendas in the search box.

Especially look reference number 2:
"¿Cómo puedo conocer el estado de la correspondencia que envié?"

According to this FAQ answer, Encomiendas translates to International Postal Orders.

Note: Google translate does a decent job of translating to English

BTW: Referring to the picture of Cotapaxi (active volcano), one can drive to the beginning of the snow cap. It is a one lane dirt road and one needs a 4 wheel drive vehicle. It is one scary trip as the road is very narrow. There are turnouts in case a vehicle is coming from the other direction. My sister-in-law's friend drove us to the snow cap.

Jerry B

As an aside, I tried Cotopaxi on my one trip in Nov., 1993 to Ecuador. Was supposed to be a 4 volcano outing. Unfortunately, I got a G.I. "problem" on #2, Tungurahra (sp. ?) outside of the town of Banos, that more or less ended my climbing. Got to the hut on Cotopaxi, but had a recurrence of symptoms on summit morning and turned around at the base of the glacier. Somewhere I have a great picture that I took of Cotopaxi from the Pan-American Highway. Back then, maybe also now, that stretch of the P.A. was known as the "Avenue of the Volcanos." Jerry: when were you there?

Thanks Rod and Jerry for the added info.

While the meaning of encomiendas is not really clear, it seems certain that the stamp illustrated paid a special use fee. The stamp is Ecuador Sc 162 issued in 1904 so a postal money order or tracking service seems unlikely during that time period. It could have been a late usage, but parcel post or other special fee is more likely.

Don

Hi Steve

We visited a few times in the late 1980's. My wife's family lives in Bogota, Colombia so we used to make the "Gran Tour": Atlanta - Bogota - Quito - Bogota - Atlanta. Now that retirement is here and since the air fares are ridiculous, we haven't visited for a while.

My sister-in-law lives in Quito, Ecuador at the foot of Guagua Pinchincha. This volcano burped in 1999 and my sister-in-law had over an inch of ash in her house.
https://www.google.com/search?q=gua...EdAs8Q7AkIXg

We went to Cotopaxi snow cap in a Ford Bronco which was a little scary as the tires were almost off the dirt road. For those who have never been to any place in the Andes, very few roads have guard rails. Also, driving across the plain there were little spouts of steam coming from the ground. I don't remember any shelters or hikers.

Since you hike, this may interest you. In Junior High School I had joined the Hiking Club. One school vacation the club members climbed Mount Katahdin. From there, we hiked the Appalacian Trail as far as we could get in a week. We never did make New Hampshire.

Jerry B